


As It Was

by Heavydirtys0ul, things-we-used-tc-share (Heavydirtys0ul)



Series: Wasteland, Baby! [26]
Category: Sanders Sides (Web Series)
Genre: Everything's on fire: a musical, M/M, dun dun dun
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-19
Updated: 2019-09-19
Packaged: 2020-10-21 16:43:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,847
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20696759
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Heavydirtys0ul/pseuds/Heavydirtys0ul, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Heavydirtys0ul/pseuds/things-we-used-tc-share
Summary: Patton's more scared than he's ever been.





	As It Was

**Author's Note:**

> Okay so comment of the year goes to the anon on Tumblr who sent me: "OHMYGOD THE KING'S A BOTTOM" in the funniest ask I've ever received in my whole fucking life. 
> 
> This fic will be posted to Tumblr but it's just going to have the links to A03 because I'm lazyyyy and also because it contains smut.
> 
> On that note my fic Tumblr is: things-we-used-tc-share  
and my smut blog is: not-safeforsanders (18+ only heathens)

_"Just as it was, baby_   
_Before the otherness came_   
_And I knew its name_   
_The love, the dark, the light, the flame_   
_The eyes at the heights of my baby_   
_Let's hope at the fight of my baby_   
_The lights were as bright as my baby_   
_But your love was unmoved,"_

_-As It Was, Hozier_

* * *

  
Roman felt a feeling that reached through his veins in a cold, unhesitant fashion, it climbed inside every nerve and pounded against the beat of his heart as he steps back in nothing short of awe. The rain patters lightly against his face as he stares at the boy, the man, the...soul he'd thought he'd known. Known in a way that had given him the feeling something wasn't quite right, the way he'd been drawn to Patton had been nothing to consider too greatly at the time, love and Roman are inseparable; but he realised now and a little too late that it was odd there had been zero hesitation with falling in love with a _Human_.

Perhaps because their souls had met distantly somewhere, and it felt less like falling in love with a Human but an idea not too removed from his own magic. Not now, as the lights crackle in the sky and the rain pours and those eyes that had been such a tender colour were now simply white and nothing else, as though the electricity that crackled through his veins had washed out all the colour.

But he looks magnificent, even though he is_ terrifying._ Electricity crawled up his arms and thorns and roses knotted in his hair like a crown would, his damp skin soaked to the bone but he barely seems to shiver. Standing in the filed with wings outstretched and a dazed expression as every force the Earth could offer bent to his fingertips. Underneath the sharp skin, the fires, the flowers, the pain, Patton still is Patton, same freckled cheeks and soft lips and hair soaked with mud and dirt. Roman knows his lover enough to know that he's not completely gone.

Distantly it reminds him of Virgil, the way the weather seems to bend to his anger and frustration and pain except unlike Virgil there's no way Patton can control his rebirth; he's being thrown at a control panel in a language he doesn't know how to read anymore. He can see movement out of the corner of his eye, advancing towards an otherwise terrified boy who suddenly has a soul older than his body can remember. There's still blood drying on his shirt from where he'd died. He'd died, and now Patton is someone else; Roman knows to some shade what this feels like, but the colours are still different. Dying in different ways, him every spring and Patton with a knife that had been bluntly shoved between his ribs into a warm body.

When he catches a flash of purple, he knows Virgil has taken over, pressing against Patton's powers in an attempt to stop the hurricane that is building in the background; but in comparison he is weak to a thing that was created for the entire ecosystem to retain it's life. The cold is sharp, the night is black, and the Witch is exhausted as he coughs on the taste of blood that is dripping from his nose. 

By the time Roman has managed to pull himself out of his daze and move forward there's a quick movement, so fast that he practically stumbles backwards. The rain water pushes back, being called by the only thing that can be bothered taking control of the way water rolls. Logan stands at the edge of the forest with his eyes wide open and teeth sharp as the scales glint in the moonlight, his throat bared to the sky as the water runs in reverse. The lightning strikes him but he is unmoved as he barely flinches in retaliation, his blood too cold to care for his agony as it is.

It's been a while since Roman has felt so useless, but his powers have no jurisdiction and they cannot fight against what Patton is doing; to make matters worse he doesn't think his heart could quite take battling a lover as he stands in the middle of an act of God; a hurricane, a tornado, and all the water Heaven has to offer. Even now, Roman's love refuses to budge, he promised he wouldn't harm Patton and he wouldn't.

Instead, the Faery races to Virgil as the Witch coughs and splutters, dirt and mud clinging to his hair, to his clothes and his face and mingling with blood and water. The man rubs dirt out of his eyes as he stares at what he remembers to be a sweet and innocent young man who couldn't harm a fly, trapped in an endless cycle of terror and anger as everything around him responds to his pain. The Siren had managed to calm the rain a little, but he was becoming weaker by the moment as nature saw him now as a threat, as an enemy trying to hurt their friend and companion.

Roman has tears in his eyes as he crawls to his feet. His wings have been damaged by hailstone and thunder's hand, his feet are bleeding against the freezing cold air. "Roman what are you doing?" Virgil shouts over the sound of the wind "Roman he's dangerous, _Roman!_" But the words are stolen by the wind and it's not as if the Faery ever listens to him anyway really. The man made of flowers and stolen hearts, he steps forward through the mist and the rain and although his eyes are damp with agony he drags on. Roman stands, thorns breaking through his skin in defence and fear, he stands in front of Patton who looks distant and terrified and like he can't really see his partner at all.

It takes a lot of energy to control something he is unused to controlling as he brings the thorns away from himself, his hands resting over Patton's arms. "Patton?" He speaks. His voice trembles and perhaps it's the fear in it that has Patton looking frantically through the haze and voices in his mind, through the wind and rain and fire (Always, he'd look through anything to find Roman, to hear his voice, to know he is safe, he'd walk through _hell_).

"Roman?" His voice echoes as the thunder radiates from his throat. Roman had never quite felt like his heart was being ripped apart before as he takes his partner's hands in his own and squeezes them; he's so cold. "Roman," The hands squeeze back.

Logan and Virgil understand the art of fighting better than he does, but Roman may understand the best warfare of all. He takes Patton's cheeks in his own and presses their lips together. "I'm here," he whispers against him, and the Spirit's eyes screw closed. Gripping onto familiar comfort as though the world can wait for his heart to calm before he dares to see it again. chemical warfare in it's own right, a kiss; warmth and racing heartbeats as the wind calms and the rain dies like a breath stolen from the cloud's lungs. Patton's hands are shaking as the storm begins to lessen in waves, the electricity dying as finally he feels something other than fury and pain.

Logan collapses to the ground before promptly passing out completely, his skin so pale it looked as though he was made of snow. His scales drained of colour as he lies still in the mud. Virgil scrambles to shaky feet to race to his side, kneeling beside the Siren with fear flickering in his eyes, his fingers press to his pulse to find it weak and feeble as though it were close to giving out entirely. The Witch swallows dryly before he scoops up the small Faery into his arms and holds him close to keep him warm.

Patton's eyes open into a soft blue colour, he looks tired and sick and he shivers as the cold settles into him. "What...where was I?" He whispers "It's so loud Roman, they won't stop talking, shouting, I can't control it..." His eyes blink away tears, the poor man looks so tired and there's nothing Roman can do. 

"It's okay, you get used to the noise," Roman mutters softly, resting their foreheads together "We can show you how to take care of that," Patton sways a little on the spot and Roman manages to grasp him before he collapses, scooping him into his arms whilst careful not to trap his wings. The Faery kneels in the dirt under the weight, but holds Patton close to him with every bit of energy he has left.

Clambering up the hill to their side is Remy, Dee and Emile, Emile had quickly healed any damage done that was deemed to be deadly if left untreated whilst Remy had moved to put out the fire, leaving Dee to get the trees to behave; something suddenly much more difficult when your king is demanding repentance from people who are too dumb to understand what that means. Emile kneels beside Patton and Roman flinches away from him, holding Patton closer. "It's okay Roman, it's just me, it's just Emile," Roman's brain is working on his instincts in his exhaustion, and can only muster the connection that Emile is safe, he knows Emile. He slowly hands Patton over. The Witch checks his pulse before nodding "His pulse is fine, he's simply exhausted and cold, we need to get him home," He stares at the boy and swallows, not wanting to admit he's _afraid_ of Patton.

"I'll carry him Roman, you're in no fit state to do so," Damian mutters, squeezing his old friend's shoulder, Roman's eyes go studiously to his companion's face, scanning for any misintentions before he nods in agreement and the Autumn prince scoops up his king easily, holding him close. Remy is already carrying the small Siren in his arms, Roman feels ill. Logan's never looked quite so _tiny_, his hands and feet bleeding. He'd done so well, Roman knows, he'd tried so hard and burned himself out. Patton might recover, but Logan had just tapped into parts of his magic the required much more than what he's used to doing. Controlling the water is one things, begging the clouds to cease? That's something much more than a Siren is supposed to do, but he'd tried anyway. 

Virgil looks no better for wear either. All of them in various states of exhaustion and yet Roman had never loved them all so much, had never been so in love with his partners and their bravery. Had never admired them all as much as he does right now. 

Yet so many questions have been left unanswered, and as his eyes go to the gates they trudge towards and sees his brother leaning against the gateway to the forest as though the iron doesn't burn, he knows there's a conversation long overdue.


End file.
